A year ago, Charles Gavin was, Denver South coach Malik Fletcher said, “a cheerleader.”
What else could he have been? Gavin was a backup to Ibrahim Sylla, probably one of the top leapers of the era who led the Rebels to a state runner-up finish in Class 4A.
But this season Gavin, a strapping 6-foot-6 senior, averages a double-double. On Tuesday, he scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime to lead the Rebels to a rousing 89-81 victory in overtime at 5A Abraham Lincoln in the Denver Prep League.
Now 12-6 overall, 3-1 in the balanced city, the high-octane Rebels not surprisingly were in a game with a frenetic pace, five players fouling out, 13 ties after halftime and a combined 71 free throws. Plus, Gavin shone.
“I knew I could do it,” he said of matching up against the Lancers inside. “We just had to come out after halftime and execute. We did.”
Said Fletcher: “I’ve been telling people to come and watch Charles. He’s a joy to have.”
Gavin frequently converted passes to layups and had a handful of follow-ups.
All told, it was as back-and-forth as the score indicated.
Turner Dumas Peterson topped Denver South with 25 points, mostly from outside. Devonte Loggins added 15 despite making only 11-of-19 free throws. For the Lancers (12-6, 2-1), it was about Michael Sparks (29), Jose Arenas (21) and Jamison Washington (15).
In all, Fletcher said, it was “a great city game.”
Denver South15 20 21 17 16 — 89
Abraham Lincoln13 22 21 17 8 — 81
Denver South — Loggins 2 11-19 15, Peterson 9 3-4 25, Bile 2 5-6 9, Gavin 11 2-4 24, Wariner 2 0-0 5, Dean 2 0-1 4, Nelson 0 3-4 3, Kennedy 2 0-0 4. Totals 30 24-38 89.
Abraham Lincoln — Sparks 8 10-10 29, Washington 5 3-4 15, Chavez 0 1-2 1, Arenas 6 9-11 21, Ramirez 4 2-4 10, Cordova 0 0-0 0, Herrera 2 1-2 5, Melendez 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 26-33 81.
3-pt. goals — Peterson 4, Wariner; Sparks 3, Washington 2.
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
